Lean On Me
by OmNomN0mnivore
Summary: Mikoto just didn't have to heart to turn a blind eye to the little ball of sunshine hiding in the bushes. She felt that every child deserved a chance. A trip to the park has the potential to change lives.  Mikoto/Sasu/Naru Friendship story. Slight AU
1. Lean On Me

_Disclaimer: Kishi 1/ Nomy 0 "You may have won this time Kishi! But I will have Naruto one day. You just wait!"_

**Lean On Me**

_By: OmNomN0mnivore_

_Betad by MrsHellman_

* * *

When Mikoto Uchiha got ready for her day she had a few goals in mind: taking care of some business down at the police station and shopping for a few things at the local super market.

Fugaku – her husband – was already down at the precinct and Itachi – her eldest son – had already set off on yet another mission. Not that she minded this; she loved to spend her days with her little-man.

Placing a dish she'd been drying in a cupboard above the counter, she dried her moist hands on her apron. Stepping over to the back patio door, she slid it open and smiled at her youngest son, who was currently trying his hardest to practice with kunai. He was such a cute sight to behold as his tiny hands fit awkwardly around the fairly blunted practice blades.

"Sasu-koi, I'm going into town, would you like to tag along?" she called out.

Upon seeing him jump a little at being caught in the metaphoric cookie jar, she gave him a bright reassuring smile. He was still a bit young – in her opinion – to be playing with weapons, but she didn't have the heart to scold him. The 5 year old blushed slightly and nodded. Trying his hardest to mask his excitement he walked lazily toward her, even though she knew he'd wanted to run. Smiling down at the boy she ruffled his soft black locks, not much unlike her own.

"This is our little secret," she said with a wink causing the boy to let loose a giggle. Slipping on her sandals the two were off to their first destination.

xxx

After taking care of what Fugaku needed her to do, she and Sasuke went to the market and purchased a few nonperishables for dinner that night. Having a bit of time on her hands before her husband was due back home, she came to a halt at the local park and nodded for Sasuke to enjoy himself.

The little boy's eyes lit up in childish wonder and he bolted for the slides; mingling shyly with the other children around.

Mikoto's eyes lit up in contented happiness and she hiked her bags onto her arm some more.

Walking in comfortable silence she stopped to sit under a shady tree; watching the flock of children running about the playground. Her Sasuke, breaking off from the pack, went to play alone on the swing.

Taking in the peaceful atmosphere she heard the children's laughter, the birds singing and something that instantly made her brows furrow. She heard soft sniffles from the bush behind her. Knowing full well that bushes do not sniffle, she got to her feet quietly and snuck over to investigate.

What she saw was a shock of startlingly golden blond hair. It belonged to a little boy, who was currently trying with all his little heart not to cry. It just about broke her heart. Her motherly instinct was now screaming at her to take hold of the boy and never let him go. But this wasn't her child; he belonged to his own mother so she decided to use a different approach.

"What are you doing all alone over here sweetheart?" she asked softly so as to not startle the child. That however didn't work out so well as his tiny head shot up.

Looking at her with alarmed electric blue eyes, Mikoto had to stop her sudden intake of breath. This little boy, he looked like a smaller carbon-copy of Namikaze Minato, the fourth Hokage – her late best friend Kushina's deceased husband.

She tried to shake herself of the bittersweet nostalgia that this boy filled her with. He sniffled again to his apparent displeasure. She was then reminded of why she stood before him. She offered him a gentle smile.

"It's okay that you're crying. I won't tell a soul, cross my heart." She did so with a reassuring smile which made the little one less wary and more confused. She took note of this. "So, love, why are you crying?"

The little boy frowned as he stared at the twigs on the ground as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"I . . . " he began slightly, "I just wanted . . . but they never . . . " Tears slipped down his whiskered cheeks despite himself. "Why won't they let me play with them? I've been nice, I promise!" he asked her beseechingly. "But no matter how nice I am, they either I-ignore me or . . . their parents take them away."

Mikoto looked at the boy with sad eyes and dropped to her knees pulling him into a warm hug. Feeling the boy snuggle nervously against her hold, she began to rub circles across his back.

"There, there, little one. It'll be okay." Looking down into the azure eyes of the boy she cradled against her, she decided to reassure him. "I'm not sure why they'd do that, but I'm certain that you're loads of fun to play with."

Surprise and wonder flitted through that glassy blue gaze and she felt her heart melt. "R-really?"

"Really, really," she replied brightly.

She smiled warmly as she let him go; watching as a bright smile of his own spread across his angelic face.

"What's your name?" he asked her timidly.

"Mikoto. What's yours dear?"

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Uzumaki, huh?" she mused, not entirely surprised.

"Yes Onee-san," he replied shyly. "Y-you know . . . " he began softly.

"Hmm?"

"Well you see . . . a lot of grown-ups are mean. And when they get mad at me, they look very ugly," he said, scrunching his nose like he smelled something bad. Suddenly he perked up again with a shy smile. "But, not you, Onee-san, you are probably the prettiest grown up I've ever met! Believe it."

"Why . . . thank you, Naruto." _You sweet little boy, oh the horrors you must have been through. My heart bleeds for you, but Fugaku. I know how he feels about the nine-tails._

"Okaa-san?" She heard Sasuke calling from behind her.

"Well, Naruto. Why don't you run along home and wash up. Eat a healthy dinner and go to bed at a proper hour, so you can be refreshed for tomorrow."

"Huh? What's happening tomorrow?" he asked curiously.

"You're not going to give up on making friends, are you?"

"N-no Onee-san!" He didn't hesitate in answering.

"That's a good boy," she praised him as she felt Sasuke come up from behind her; standing at her side quietly with an apprehensive look on his porcelain face. "Run along now, tomorrow's a new day."

"Thank you, Onee-san!" he exclaimed, hugging her legs quickly before bounding into the thicket, toward home.

_I hope for your sake, you find someone special, little one. _She smiled sadly at the blonds retreating form. Taking Sasuke's hand in her own, they began their walk home.

She looked up in the sky and noticed that as the evening was starting to come to a close; orange and various shades of pinks exploded across the sky. She narrowed her eyes as she was deep in thought. Brushing her thumb tenderly over her little boy's hand she spoke up.

"Sasu, did you know that little boy, Naruto?" she asked looking down at her son.

Sasuke had a look of consternation across his elegant features. "They . . . well the kids at the playground; they said he was a monster," he said with a shrug.

"And what do you think?"

Sasuke looked down, seeming to contemplate this. "Well . . . aren't monsters supposed to have long sharp claws and teeth? Like from the stories you read to me and 'Tachi?"

Mikoto smiled warmly at her little boy and he blushed, looking away quickly. "Yes, they are supposed to, aren't they," she replied.

"Well, then those kids are dumb. He clearly has none of those things." Sasuke masked his reply as a scoff, but his blush was still apparent and it made his mother laugh melodiously. He looked up at her timidly, with a small smile.

"Sasu?"

"Yes Okaa-san?" He looked at her with big grey eyes.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" she mused. Her son blushed, caught off guard by her question. His smile however, only grew bigger and toothy.

"You're the most pretty mom in the world, Okaa-san! Just . . . don't tell 'Tachi I told you that." His brow furrowed.

With a laugh she replied: "Cross my heart."

Together they walked in companionable silence, Mikoto still musing to herself. "Say, Sasu, dear?"

"Yes Okaa-san?"

"Would you like to go to the park again tomorrow?" she queried, deviously plotting all the future play dates between Sasuke and Naruto. She'd be damned if that boy didn't have anyone he could lean on, and with her son's answer, she just knew that Sasuke could be that person.

"Really?" he responded with some excitement.

"Yes little one. It'll be our little secret."

Both had broad smiles when they entered their home that night. Tomorrow would be an important day.

* * *

AN: I think I may expand on this story one day.

Maybe when I'm finished with my other story, My Ticket Home.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

UPDATE: I have decided to make this into a multichapter! Yaaaay~


	2. If My Heart Was A House

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, there would be no need for Fanfiction. Because all of our fanservice/needs would be met. Which would clearly be too much to hope for lol.

**AN:** I know I said I'd expand on this after MTH was finished, but my ego was stroked big time recently lol. A special thanks to: _I'm NO angel haha_, for the motivation. As for the people who have read MTH thus far, I foresee an update soon. I'm sorry it has taken so long, but life struck and it came barreling in with a vengeance. I'm sure you all understand how that can be. Anyway, on with the story, shall we? :')

* * *

Chp. **2**

**If My Heart Was ****a**** House**

By: _OmNomN0mnivore_

Betad by: (The Epic) _MrsHellman_

* * *

xxx

Mikoto lay awake in her bed, partially reading a book and partially brooding. She couldn't fully concentrate on the pages and only somewhat understood what it was that she was skimming through.

For the past week the Uchiha matriarch had been plagued by thoughts and dreams of a whiskered little boy. She could neither wrap her head nor heart around why any adult or child could be so cruel toward the boy.

It wasn't like Naruto himself was the nine tails. In fact, the Uchiha had full confidence in Minato's seal. Kushina concocted seals and knew of so many others already that it was as easily learned as baking a cake. She'd taught her husband well in the ways of Fūinjutsu, hence Minato knew the Jinchūriki sealing process as well as his ABC's.

Mikoto knew without a shadow of a doubt that Naruto wasn't dangerous, and if he were, she knew damn well that the fourth Hokage had a backup plan set in place to protect his son and his village even after his death. And even if that failed, she had her Sharingan; but only if the other options were exhausted.

It was unjust and unfair to the boy, for him to be treated as if he were a disease.

To Mikoto, it would be like stomping and spitting on the bond she'd created with her crazy-loudmouthed-hothead – but eternally sweet-and-endearing best friend – if she were to ignore her son and continue on as if she'd never met him. Once you were friends with an Uchiha it was a lifelong commitment, as it was a rare occurrence. Even in death Kushina was family and therefore so was Minato and their beloved son. Once accepted, an Uchiha never abandons their own kin.

Sighing dejectedly as she ditched her book, the raven haired woman pulled herself out of bed with firm resolve.

_"I . . . " he began slightly, "I just wanted . . . but they never . . . " Tears slipped down his whiskered cheeks despite himself. "Why won't they let me play with them? I've been nice, I promise!" he asked her beseechingly. "But no matter how nice I am, they either __i__-ignore me or . . . their parents take them away."_

_Never again__,_ the raven thought to herself. _That child has gone through enough. __C__onvincing Fugaku is going to take some precision and unerring tenacity __though . . . _

Luckily, she learned from the best.

Mikoto crept quietly out of her bedroom and down the hall, not detecting any chakra nearby. She tiptoed over to Sasuke's bedroom door which was left ajar and peeked inside at her sleeping baby boy.

Her heart and cheeks warmed at the sight. If there was anything that could crack the mandatory cold Uchiha exterior, it was her boys. She loved them with every fiber of her being. Soon – if she played her cards right – there would be another tiny body in another bedroom for her to poke her nose into at night.

Sasuke could use a friend anyway; he was much too reclusive for a boy his age. She didn't have much room to talk, considering that he was so much like herself, but she was his mother and she'd be damned if he didn't enjoy life to the fullest.

A slight spike from a chakra signature behind her made her jump slightly. "Itachi!" she whispered. "Don't do that . . . you just about gave me a heart attack."

The fourteen year old simply arched an elegant brow in inquiry. "What are you doing stalking the halls at 1:30 am, Mother?"

The older raven simply snorted at this.

Leave it to her eldest son to be questioning her nightly habits as if _she_ were the teenager getting caught sneaking about. "That's funny coming from you dear, seeing as you should be in bed yourself." Itachi merely shrugged and smiled at her.

"Honestly, I couldn't sleep. There's been a lot on my mind," her son replied sincerely.

"Likewise," she whispered. Taking one last glance at the soundly sleeping five-year-old, she beckoned Itachi to follow her down the hall. With her eldest in tow, she made her way into the kitchen and flipped the light switch nearest to her, bathing them in a dim light.

"What's on your mind dear?" she asked as they took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Just an upcoming mission," Itachi replied vaguely. "Why can't you sleep, Mother?" he then asked in slight concern.

"I've just been thinking about some things," she began vaguely as well. "Kushina mostly."

Itachi perked up at this. Uzumaki Kushina and his mother had been best friends and when she had passed away his mother rarely – if ever – brought her up. He supposed that his mother held a bit of guilt in her heart for not being in Konoha on the day that the nine tails rampaged through the village.

Itachi remembered the ordeal in vivid clarity. He hadn't known where his parents were that day and he'd been babysitting Sasuke – whom was still just an infant – at the time. All he knew at that time was that protecting Sasuke was all that mattered when the chaos ensued. Only afterwards did he find out that Kushina and Minato had sacrificed their lives for the sake of the village. Itachi had never seen his mother so devastated. Remembering his mother's pain left him a bit disconcerted.

"I met her son the other day," she continued quietly.

_Come to think of it, aunt 'Shina was pregnant at the time__,_Itachi mused internally.

The young Uchiha always thought it was weird that the Yondaime had conveniently sealed the nine tails into a baby boy, just in the nick of time. That boy must have been theirs and if he was theirs then there was no doubt of who the little blond boy was.

"Uzumaki Naruto . . ." he said. "Honestly, I should have known," Itachi commented absently. It sort of disturbed him that he hadn't caught on sooner, or even given it a second thought. He supposed his mother felt worse after finding out how the boy lived nowadays.

Mikoto's eyes widened a bit. "You know of him?"

"Yes, I've seen him around. I just didn't think anything of it. Every time I passed the boy it was either when I was leaving for a mission or coming back. I see him occasionally in the Hokage tower as well with Sandaime-sama."

Mikoto was silent, staring at her hands folded neatly on the kitchen table. Itachi could tell she was troubled. It was rare that they troubled themselves with issues outside of the Uchiha clan. The fact that his mother only now found out about Naruto didn't surprise him much.

"Uzumaki Naruto is the boy that had the nine tails sealed inside of him, is he not?" It was said more as a statement rather than a question.

Mikoto merely nodded. She honestly didn't know what else to say. She hadn't even realized Naruto existed until seven days ago. She felt like a terrible person, but more like a terrible friend. Naruto should have been left in her care. She should have known the baby had survived. She should have put two and two together sooner.

"I want to talk to your father about taking him in."

Itachi couldn't say he was surprised, but he sure fit the bill. "Father will never go for that. I'm not trying to discourage you, Mother. But you know how he is about appearances. People already loath and talk badly about Naruto-kun. People will definitely talk offensively about the Uchiha clan if we take him in."

"What are we really, Itachi? A clan of ingrates? Aren't the Uchiha's supposed to be a clan of noble blood? Aren't we supposed to set the standard? In the sixteen years that I've been matriarch, all I've seen from clan elders – your father included – has been insensitivity. If you ask me, all I've seen is a hunger for power. As if the Sharingan wasn't enough. Surely we could spare some pity? Sympathy and humility toward a little boy who had everything and everyone stripped from him is very little to ask for, Son."

Itachi's expression may have been impassive, but he was pretty stunned. He knew his mother abhorred the Sharingan – secretly – but he never knew to what extent. Even so, usually what his father said was law and his mother generally supported whatever decisions he made. This was probably one of the few or first times that she's ever wanted to forsake her blood in favor of what was fair.

Itachi found it very admirable.

"I fully understand where you are coming from, Mother, unlike what we feel, Father detests the nine tails," Itachi replied empathetically. He knew very well how cold his father could be. If he remembered correctly, his father never really approved of his mother's friendship with Kushina, who was also a Jinchūriki.

Mikoto frowned, her brow furrowing tightly. Itachi smiled at her gently, his eyes crinkling slightly at a passing thought. He decided to just go with it and poked his mother in the forehead, fully satisfied with her surprised expression. "I'm sorry . . ." he started in amusement, "It's just . . . I can clearly see where Sasuke has picked that scowl of his up from."

This completely wiped any trace of said scowl from his mother's features as she giggled before smirking slightly. "I am not to be held accountable for what my boys happen to pick up on a daily basis."

"Tch . . . yes you are. You are our role model after all," Itachi replied indignantly.

"And what an impression I've made," Mikoto retorted cheekily, making Itachi's smile brighten.

They loved moments like this. Bonding in the wee hours of the morning was good enough for them, seeing as their schedules differed so much. It was hard to have family time when Itachi and Fugaku were so busy. Mikoto knew it was understandable, though Sasuke on the other hand . . .

. . . it had a harder impact on him.

"You know what Mother . . ." Itachi began before trailing off with his thought.

"Hn?"

"I'd go for it. What have you really got to lose? Except for maybe an ear during Father's lecture on how much a burden tailed beasts are."

"Itachi!" Mikoto chided halfheartedly. He knew there was no harm or foul. They both knew how the Uchiha patriarch was.

"You know it's true."

"Yes . . . but we love him nonetheless."

"I never said we didn't," he replied cheekily.

"You are truly my son," Mikoto said as she pretended to rub faux tears from her eyes.

"Seriously though; I don't see it as a bad thing. If anything, it's the best possible situation. It'll give Sasuke another person to talk to aside from yourself and I, as well as give Naruto something to hold on to. From what I know, he was bounced around from foster home to foster home because no one wanted to keep him for long. Sandaime-sama ended up paying rent for an apartment for him. You and I both know that that isn't an ideal situation for a kid his age."

Mikoto nodded vaguely as she stared at her son intently, which he took note of and arched a brow. "Sorry . . . not to insult your intelligence, but I often forget I'm talking to a fourteen year old and not a twenty-one year old."

"It comes along with that impression you've made," Itachi replied with a grin reserved only for her and his little brother.

"Cheeky brat," the older raven replied affectionately. "I agree though. There is a list full of reasons as to why I want to take that boy in. He's absolutely miserable. Even an idiot could see it, yet people turn a blind eye to him and it breaks my heart to know that that was how he's been treated this whole time."

"I'm sure that Sandaime-sama has his reasons as to why he chose to hide Naruto's existence after his birth. Though hiding him from people who knew Kushina well enough was pretty pointless."

"Give him a break . . . he's like what . . . seventy years old?" his mother replied with a laugh. " I mean no disrespect but he's got a lot on his plate and he's already had one retirement, I highly doubt he expected a second one."

Itachi merely snorted and then gave a double nod.

"So, since you were lurking around this late at night, have you any idea as to where your father could be?"

"He should be on his way home from the precinct any minute now," Itachi replied as he peered at the clock on the stove. It read 2:30 am. "Do you know what you're going to say to him?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Well . . . we'll likely talk about what you and I have discussed already. If all else fails I'll do what I want to do in the end anyway and he can deal with sleeping on the couch until his attitude changes or he gets tired of having a dry spell."

Itachi balked at the thought, "Awkward. Sorry I asked."

Mikoto laughed heartily at her son's reply.

Suddenly they both heard a shuffling at the kitchen threshold. "Mommy? 'Tachi?" a tiny weary voice piped up.

"Oh! I'm sorry love, did we wake you?" Mikoto cooed and beckoned her little boy over to her. Sasuke nodded slightly with a tired smile and nestled himself onto her lap and laid his head against her chest.

"S'ok though . . ." Sasuke replied tiredly. "I was having a weird dream about 'Tachi fighting away jellybean monsters using carrots instead of kunai. Then he won and we ate tomatoes at the park."

"You're right, Little Brother, that is weird. I clearly would have used corn instead of carrots," Itachi replied earning a giggle and timid smile from his little brother.

"Well . . . could we still eat tomatoes at the park tomorrow anyway?" the five year old asked feeling hopeful.

Itachi gave him a strained smile. "Sorry, Little Brother, I actually have a mission tomorrow, but I can see if we can go another time or maybe if I get back early, we can." Just as Sasuke was about to frown in disappointment, Itachi piped up again. "But Mother tells me that you'll have someone to play with around here soon, why not eat tomatoes with him tomorrow?"

Sasuke perked up at this, looking to his mother. "Naruto?" She nodded in confirmation. Sasuke seemed to consider this for a minute. "But Naruto doesn't like tomatoes, he likes . . . ramen . . ." He scrunched his nose as if he smelt something bad, whilst recanting their get-together two days ago.

"Well, maybe you can have tomatoes and he can have ramen and you can just both eat it together?" Itachi quipped, trying to find a middle ground that wouldn't leave his little brother disappointed.

"...I Suppose... that sounds good," Sasuke replied with a small smirk, trying not to sound too eagar.

Upon feeling his father chakra in the yard, Itachi nodded to his mother before standing and gathering Sasuke into his arms. Mikoto watched the both of them with a smile on her face. "Let's see if we can't get you back to bed now. Father is home and Mother needed to have a talk with him."

"Sure, 'Tachi," Sasuke chirped clinging to the older boy. The tiny raven looked to his mother in askance. "We can go see Naruto at the park tomorrow, with ramen and tomatoes, right Mommy?"

"Cross my heart," she replied as she stood and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight angel."

"Nighty, night, Mommy," the five-year-old replied and smiled up at Itachi to let him know he was ready for bed. His brother smiled as he walked him down the hall, whilst their mother met their father at the front door.

_Here goes nothing, _she thought to herself as her husband came into the foyer.

"Dear, what are you doing up so late?" Fugaku asked in his usual gruff manner, but with a hint of curiosity.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied honestly, though left out why.

"Again?"

_Apparently he's not as unobservant of his family as he seems._Though Mikoto knew this already, she just liked to tease him, even if it were internally.

"Yes, I've been deeply troubled for the past week, but knowing you, if I tell you about it, you'll get huffy and puffy with me," she replied knowingly, to which he just observed her as if sheepishly.

"What if I promise that whatever it is, I'll hear you out first?" Fugaku queried, trying to find a happy medium. In actuality – despite his penchant for being a hard ass – he truly did care about his family in a quirky way. There was a lot more to him occasionally, than what met the eye. It was what made Mikoto fall for him despite their marriage having been arranged.

"I don't know. You're really not going to like it. But I have half a mind to go along with it regardless."

Fugaku snorted as they made their way to their bedroom. He knew well where Mikoto had developed that occasional tenacity from. "Try me."

"I want to take in a child."

Fugaku sat himself down onto one of the chairs in the room; he couldn't say that he wasn't caught completely left field. His normally expressionless disposition was furrowed in consternation. "You know we have two children already . . . right, Dear?"

"I am aware."

"If it's another baby you want then . . ."

"No, Fugaku, I don't want another baby. I'm not saying we adopt him, but . . . I want to take in Uzumaki Naruto."

And just like that, the bomb was dropped. And what was to come next, could only be best described in the words of a little boy she'd overheard at the park; troublesome.


End file.
